The Effect of Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells on a Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Line

Abstract

Title: This experiment explores the effect of effect of Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs)-conditioned medium on the HEP-2 cell line. Background: Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells may be more useful for cancer therapy than other adult stem cells since they are easily prepared in relatively large quantities from the umbilical cord after delivery. This study aims to determine the anticancer effect of WJMSC-conditioned medium on a HEP-2 cell line after 24, 48, and 72 hours using flow cytometry and real-time polymerase chain reaction. Methods and findings: A HEP-2 cell line and WJMSCs were propagated. The cultured medium of WJMSCs was collected and used to substitute the cultured medium of the HEP-2 cell line. The HEP-2 cells were assessed after 24, 48, and 72 hours. We found that WJMSC-conditioned medium caused apoptosis in the HEP-2 cell line. The percentage of apoptosis was directly proportional to time. Expression of p53 was increased after 24 and 48 hours, but after 72 hours its expression decreased. The expression of Bcl-2 also decreased over time. Conclusions: It could be concluded that WJMSC-conditioned medium could be used as an apoptotic agent against malignant cells. Keywords: Squamous cell carcinoma, HEP-2 cell line, Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells, Real-time PCR, p53, Bcl-2 Abbreviations: cDNA: Complementary DNA; ct: Cycle Threshold; EGF: Epidermal Growth Factor; HNSCC: Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma; hWJSCs: Human Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells; MHC: Major Histocompatibility Complex; MMPs: Matrix Metalloproteinases; MSC-CD: Mesenchymal Stem CellCluster of Differentiation; PI: Propidium Iodide; PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction; RQ: Relative Quantification; SCID: Severe Combined Immunodeficiency; VEGF: Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor; WJMSCs: Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells; WJMSCs-CM: Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells-Conditioned Medium